1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle holding structure for a vehicle and a vehicle seat having the buckle holding structure.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been a seat belt device for a vehicle that restrains an occupant in a seat by engaging a tongue of a seat belt, which is stretched over an occupant's body, with a buckle of a buckle unit fixed to a vehicle body. Since the buckle unit is subject to a large impact during the collision, the buckle unit is fixed to the vehicle body. For example, one end of the belt is fixed to the vehicle body, and the buckle is fixed to the other end of the belt. If the buckle cannot be directly found when an occupant intends to fasten a seat belt, it is inconvenient to use the seat belt device.
Accordingly, there has been considered a buckle holding structure where a buckle always exists in place when the seat belt is not fastened.
For example, in a buckle holding structure disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-362309, an annular band formed of a rubber band is fixed to a rear portion of an upper surface of a seat cushion, and a belt and a buckle of a buckle unit are caught by the annular band. The buckle unit is inserted into the annular band of which the diameter is increased against the elasticity of the annular band, and the annular band is then elastically contracted, so that the belt and the buckle of the buckle unit are caught by the annular band. Further, the buckle holding structure is provided in a movable seat cushion that can be flipped so as to overlap a seat back or drop on a vehicle floor positioned below feet. Accordingly, when the seat cushion is moved, the annular band formed of a rubber band is elongated and catches the buckle.
However, in the buckle holding structure in the above described conventional art, the annular band is mounted on the rear portion of the upper surface of the seat cushion so that the buckle certainly returns to the upper surface of the seat cushion when the seat cushion returns to a seating position. For this reason, there has been a demand for an improvement of appearance because the annular band is exposed to a seating surface of the seat cushion.
Consequently, the present invention has an object of providing a buckle holding structure that has good appearance and can reliably return a buckle to a seat cushion, and a vehicle seat having the buckle holding structure.